Othoman Empire and Byzantine Legacy tour

This atmospheric Istanbul tour takes you through the commercial center of modern Istanbul, across the Galata Bridge, deep into the Byzantine and Ottoman history of this incredible city. Our coach will take you along the coastline of Istanbul's Golden Horn past the Suleimaniye Mosque, a landmark of 16th century Ottoman architecture and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Our destination is beautiful Sultanahmet Square, home to the Blue Mosque, the former basilica of Hagia Sophia, the Basilica Cistern, Topkapi Palace and the Old Hippodrome of Istanbul, our first stop.

The Old Hippodrome of Istanbul is an ancient circus built before the founding of Constantinople. A public recreation space designed to resemble the Roman Circus Maximus and its characteristic "U" shape, which participants had to circle seven times, the Hippodrome was a public recreation space for opulent horse and chariot racing spectacles. Some of its more significant structures include Kaiser Wilhelm's Fountain, the Serpent Column of Delphi (bronze), the Egyptian Obelisk and the Walled Obelisk of Constantine VII, but the four bronze horses which decorated the Hippodrome's gates and the statues of celebrated charioteers which stood proudly on its grounds are no longer here.

We walk from the Hippodrome to the Blue Mosque, Istanbul's largest and most beautiful. It's also called the Sultan's Mosque, since it was built, between 1609 and 1616, by order of Sultan Ahmed I, who was 20 years-old at the time and is now buried within its walls. An exceptional example of Islamic architecture, many of the pious begin their journey to Mecca from the Blue Mosque. The sultan wanted to build the most magnificent mosque in all of Islam, and he wanted no expense spared -- he even demanded a dome of pure gold, which was impossible because of the weight of gold. His architect built the dome from simple materials and surrounded it with six exquisite minarets and, when confronted by the sultan, pretended he had misunderstood, that he had heard "alti" (six), not "altin," (gold). It is called the blue mosque because of the blue tiles upon its interior walls.

We leave the Blue Mosque for Hagia Sophia, also known as the "Church of the Wisdom of God" and "the Great Church." The Church has long been a symbol of Constantinople and Istanbul. From the date construction began, in 537, during the reign of Justinian, until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and the seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except for the period between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was used as a mosque from the fall of Constantinople, on 29 May 1453, until 1931. It is now a museum, where beautiful mosaics completed over the course of more than 12 centuries are on display. It is considered one of the preeminent extant examples of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture.

After a delicious lunch at a local restaurant, we visit the Topkapi Palace Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the acropolis of ancient Byzantium. Initially constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the palace, initially called the "New Palace," served as the home of the Ottoman sultans and their courts until the middle of the 19th century. The basic design of the palace, which was designated a museum by Ataturk in 1924, encompasses a number of exquisite courtyards and gardens. Its collection includes Ottoman and European silverware, European porcelains and glassware, weapons, manuscripts, Islamic relics, portraits of the Sultans and even some of their robes and other clothing. Topkapi is one of the locations in the Oscar-winning 1964 caper, Topkapi, which starred the legendary Greek actress, singer, author and Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri.

Our excursion concludes with plenty of time for shopping! The awesome Grand Bazaar, which is also called Kapali Carci ("Covered Bazaar"), is one of the oldest and largest covered markets on earth. The bazaar, which first opened in 1461, comprises about 60 streets and welcomes up to 400,000 visitors per day to its maze of banks, cafes, fountains, shops, shrines and workshops. It will make the mall back home seem like a dollhouse. We only hope you can carry all your purchases back to the ship!